Dirt and Glass Roses
by Chachi96
Summary: Just another one of those 11:00 pm one-shots. Title sucks, image sucks, story is pretty cute. It is a one-shot, but if anyone wants me to continue it, I might have a longer, more detailed version stewing inside my brain somewhere.


I found myself back here, again. I don't know why. I guess I think I can find some answers of some sort. So here I am, sitting in a tree branch outside her window, watching her sleep like a total creeper.

BEEP

Amy moaned and rolled over to shut off her alarm clock. Reluctantly, she drug herself out from beneath the warm covers of her bed, and shuffled into her bathroom to get ready for work. So she brushed her teeth, put on make-up, fixed her hair, yada yada yada. So yeah, maybe I find myself just a little bored watching all of this. Maybe I should just be glad that she does it. I don't know. Anyway, when she walked out of the bathroom, she just looked the same as she always did.

Beautiful.

She opened the door of her closet to pick out some clothes to wear. She tossed a bunch of articles of clothing on her unmade bed before choosing a pair of pink floral jeans with a black camisole and short, black leather jacket with a pair of pink converse. And maybe, some people would find this information boring. Maybe you ought to know, that she's actually doing all of this to impress someone.

Amy piled her phone, wallet, keys, and a few other things into a black purse before gracefully decending down the stairs. By graceful, I mean graceful. Like an angel.

She grabbed a small container of cottage cheese, and a banana from her kitchen before heading into her living room to watch the news. It was the same old garbage: politics, science and some old bastard molesting kids. But she watches it anyway, she likes to keep informed.

When it was about 7:00, she turned off her TV, threw her trash away, and then headed for the door, making sure to carefully lock up behind herself. She then got into her car and drove away. I followed her, because I have just a few minutes before I head into work myself. She parks in the lot of a small little shop on the corner of a business strip. It's painted pink, and it's got a great big display window with cute little doo-dads featured inside. She unlocks the door to the place, flicks on a couple of switches, and the sign flickers on. Rose's Boutique. And I for one will say, it's one of the cutest damn places you'll find in Mobius. In fact, a few people were heading into the store already. Myself included.

"Hi!" a girl who couldn't have been more than 14 greeted the owner "So, like, are you Rose?"

Amy laughs in good spirit "Well, sorta. Rose is my last name, you see. You can just call me Amy, if ya like!" She responded with a cute wink. The other girl smiled, embarrassed.

"Oops! Sorry! I've been passing this place everyday when I go to school, I just-you know, wanted to check it out!"

"You're fine!" Amy smiled and rolled her eyes "Feel free to look around all you like!"

"Okay, thanks!" The girl walked off, and that was when Amy looked in my direction.

"Hey..." She breathed liked she'd just laid eyes on someone she loved more than anything.

"Hey-" I started to say before she walked over to and embraced a green hedgehog.

"Hiya, Ames." He tilted her chin up so she'd look him in the eyes.

"James..." She paused a moment before looking down and giggling. He chuckled as well. They always did. Their names rhymed, so what lovers wouldn't? "So I uh-whatcha doin here?" She asked, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear.

"The same thing I do every morning-I'm just checking on you before I head to work." James replied seriously.

"Aw gosh, you know I've told ya you don't have to do that." Amy gazed at him in that love-y dove-y way.

"I just want to make sure that you're fine. Trust me, it helps me focus better when I'm on duty." the green hedgehog explained.

"Well..." Amy bit her bottom lip cutely before pushing him playfully out of her store "You know I'm fine, so go!" She giggled.

"Hey!" James laughed, his breath turning to steam in the cold, January air "That any way to treat a customer?"

"Nope! I better go ring that poor girl up right away, thanks for reminding me!" Amy got him. She got him good. The hedgehog sighed before walking away from the store, a smile plastered on his face. It would take a lot to get that grin off if there. After all, she was the one who put it there for him. Everyday.

"Is that your boyfriend?" the girl asked while Amy scanned her item.

"Yup!" Amy replied proudly.

"You guys are so cute!" the girl cooed "I wish a guy at my school was like that!"

Amy paused to frown. "Honey, listen to me. You are way too young to be chasing and hoping and dreaming after boys. You have your entire life ahead of you! Live a little! Have fun while you're young, and do well in school. Then when you're older, you can start worrying about 'em."

"Yeah, yeah," the girl rolled her eyes "I've heard all that before, but I really like this guy!"

"Then," Amy paused "If he likes you back, genuinely likes you back, you won't have to chase, and you won't have to dream or hope, or cry, or beg, or have any worries." She grabbed a pink plastic bag "You'll just-get this feeling." She stopped to admire the item the girl had just purchased-a glass rose. "This is pretty."

"I know," the girl smiled "I just fell in love with it as soon as I saw it!"

"I hope you enjoy it." Amy smiled softly and put the glass rose into the pink bag before handing it all to the girl.

"Bye," the girl called out as she left the store "thanks!"

"No, thank you!" Amy called back.

Yes. Thank you, little girl. Thank you for buying that goddamn rose.

"Amy..." I found myself uttering her name. I could've sworn I caught her flinching when she heard the sound of my voice.

I don't really blame her.

"Hey..." She breathed like she'd just laid eyes on someone she had loved more than anything. "What are you doing here?"

"I uh..." I scuffed my sneaker on the floor of the store "just stopped by to see how you were."

"I'm fine." I looked up and studied her face. She was fine. Fine until I stepped in. "Why uh...why ya checking up on me out of the

blue?"

Haha.

Because it helps me concentrate at work. No really.

"Because I-" I caught myself "f-felt like it was the right thing to do." Amy laughed.

"Yeah, you're always trying to do the right thing, eh?"

I don't know if I detected sarcasm in that. I'm pretty sure that I did, until I look at her face, and then I just don't know anymore.

I just don't know anything, anymore.

"Well, a guy can try." Damn, that just sounded loser-ish.

"They try..." Amy eyed me before grabbing something from a nearby basket and labeling price tags on it.

"You sold the glass rose, huh?" I couldn't take it, I just needed to say something about it. I needed some sort of-closure? Amy froze for a moment when I said that, but she didn't look at me and just continued what she was doing.

"It's-it was my rose...I can do whatever I want with it." She replied carelessly.

Just as carelessly as I had handled our relationship.

"Yeah, yeah you're right." I immediately said. I mean, honestly, what did I expect her to do, keep it?

"Are you..." Amy was looking at me again "gonna buy something?"

"Hm..." I looked around the pink store, a little dramatically "I don't really see anything in here that particularly grabs my interest." She laughed, but, not her normal laugh. This was more of a scoff, than a laugh.

"What, you don't buy gifts for your girlfriends anymore?" She teased, but, not her normal teasing. This tease was hurtful, with a hint of spite.

Should I tell her I'm not actually seeing anyone right now? Nah, I wouldn't give her that pleasure.

"Well," I took a deep breath, knowing I probably shouldn't say it "Apparently, they get sold as soon as they're presented."

"Not immediately." She said hastily, with a bit of an edge to her otherwise sweet voice.

"Well it feels that way!" I said suddenly, surprising even myself.

"You know what?" She tossed whatever the hell she was fiddling with back into her basket "I'll have you know, that I kept that rose for a really fucking long time! Why?" She sighed "Cuz I actually thought we might..."

"Get back together. Yeah, so did I. Pfft, guess we're just a couple of geniuses, huh?" I made a stupid face.

"You are a child. And you're stubborn, and arrogant, and-" She stopped her rant, and quickly regained composure.

What? Are you kidding me? Mount Rose isn't going to erupt?

Actually, I was kind of looking forward to that.

"And what?" I said after an uncomfortably long amount of silence.

"...And that's why we're-" She took a deep breath "That's PART, of the reason we never did get back together."

"Oh?" Why the hell did I say that?

"Because of our tempers. We both get mad too easily..." She took a shakey breath "At each other, too easily. Let's face facts: You and I would rather eat dirt than apologize."

"Where's the spoon?" I was rewarded by a spoon being flung into my face. "Gah! Where'd that come from? You sell spoons in here?"

"I have a lot of neat stuff in this store." Amy stated matter-of-factly.

I wouldn't know. She didn't work here the last time we technically 'saw' each other. Besides, that little glass rose was the neatest thing that would ever pass through these doors. Neat: That's what I thought to myself, smiling, when I bought it for her.

"So, what's it going to be?" She asked suddenly.

And oddly enough, I knew what she was talking about.

"I could ask you the same question." I retorted.

"...Would you ever apologize?" her eyes went soft, for a moment.

"I..." suddenly found myself inching closer towards her pink lips.

"'m not…" Her eyes weren't soft and sparkly-looking anymore. Just hard, emerald-colored stones as she pushed my body away just a little.

So what should I say? Should I apologize? Should I tell her I was sorry for not giving a shit when I should've? Was I really sorry for leaving her along all those times to go off on wild adventures with my other friends? That time on her birthday, when she wanted me to take her out to that cafe, the cafe where we had had our first date. Should I tell her that I hadn't stepped foot into that place since we broke up?

"You want to go out somewhere?" I blurted out. "Like...like to eat?" And...yeah. That's what I said. Smooth as the quills on my back.

Amy looked at me for what seemed like an eternity before shaking her head. "No...You're a little late for the cafe to just fix everything."

Oh great. Now she can read my thoughts.

"Well if I'm too late..." I turned around and acted like I was about to leave. That used to get her attention.

Used to.

"...It's not too late for everything..." I turned around to look at her, but she just continued to stare at me with those big, round eyes of hers.

"You say somethin'?" I asked.

No answer. Just a tear, I think. I'll never be entirely sure.

"Well..." came out funny-sounding due to the lump that had formed in my throat "Guess I'll...catch ya later." I opened the door, and couldn't stop myself from looking back over my shoulder one last time.

"Goodbye, Ames."

I used the nickname that I had given her, not James, but myself, before turning my head back around and walking out, closing the door behind me.

"Goodbye, Sonic."


End file.
